In a positive development, the Israeli court has followed up on a US ruling that victims of terrorism can sue the PA/Fatah for what they've been through: Jerusalem District Court Judge Aharon Farkash ruled on Monday that it was possible to implement a 2004 US court ruling, according to which the Palestinian Authority must pay compensations of more than $116 million to terror victims' families.
~from The Daily Star
It is a damning indication of just how bad things have become in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip when Fatah militants there must look to Israel for protection from their Palestinian rivals. The Jewish state announced on Monday that it would help a group of 150 Fatah fighters who had fled weekend [...]
:: HENRIK THODESEN - standupkomiker på TV3 Norge - skriver om Stortinget "Drit dere ut!": Jonas Gahr Støre er på Dagsrevyen sammen med Tony Blair. «Vi er svært fornøyde med samtalene» sier Støre tørt etter å ha diskutert en eventuell fredsavtale i Midtøsten. Respekten omkranser ham som en glorie «Vi har delt erfaringer fra våre reiser i Midtøsten, og vi har forberedt et mø
By Khalid AmayrehWhile the vast majority of Palestinians have welcomed the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire between the Hamas movement and Israel, the American-backed “fifth column” within Fatah is viewing the tahdiaa or brief calm in the Gaza Strip as an existential threat to its very survival.Since the conclusion of the fragile ceasefire nearly ten days ago, these rouge elements have spared no ef
Events in the Middle East are slowly but surely moving toward changes which either will result in attainment of some form of peacefully resolution of the Palestine-Israel conflict or an escalation of violence. Hamas and Fatah are in the early stages of efforts to end their year long dispute and result in a possible coalition [...]
DEBKA - The two parties endeavored to keep their channel under cover after Abbas promised President George W. Bush on the first visit he paid the Palestinian Authority on Jan. 10 - and assured Vice President Dick Cheney on March 23 - that he would not hold talks with Hamas. The channel is run by close confidants of the Fatah and Hamas leaders, but during the Arab League Summit on March 29 and 30, Abbas and Meshaal met face to face to confirm the points of agreement achieved thus far.Both US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert are well aware of Abbas underhand track but are keeping it dark to avoid embarrassment, because Bush has branded Hamas a terrorist movement, and Olmert is committed to breaking off peace talks with the PA chairman if he starts a
And Mahmoud Abbas is not bothered about it a bit. From Israel Insider:
Majid Al-Barghouti, the 42-year-old imam of a mosque in the village of Kobar, outside Ramallah, was arrested by the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Service (GIS) on February 14, 2008, and pronounced dead on February 22.
The family retrieved al-Barghouti's body on February 24. Photos taken of the body that day,
Arutz Sheva -- Senior Fatah officials in the Palestinian Authority health system systematically stole valuable medications and replaced them with worthless placebo pills.The placebos, which lab tests show had no medical value, were passed along to clinics and hospitals, where they were given to patients suffering from serious and often life-threatening diseases.The real medications were taken to massive warehouses in Ramallah and Shechem, and were sold for high prices on the black market.
In a poll published in today’s LA Times Hamas would win presidential elections for the Palestinian Authority. Support for Hamas amongst the Palestinian population has been massively rising over the last few months. The same poll quoted in the above article had Fatah comfortably beating Hamas just last December.
The result, can be seen as a massive failure of US policy as this administration has undermined moderate Palestinians by expecting them to show restraint in the face of overwhelming Israeli pressure. This has made the Fatah party look impotent and ineffective. The great advantage that Fatah had before was that it had the at least nominal support of the US. Palestinians know that if there is one country in the world that can put pressure on Israel when it is acting in an unjust
The Jerusalem shooting massacre that left eight Jewish seminary students dead yesterday was planned on behalf of the Hezbollah terrorist group by an activist from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah organization, according to senior Israeli and Palestinian security officials speaking to WND.Israel, coordinating with Palestinian intelligence services, has specific information the bloody massacre was financed by Hezbollah and was planned in the West Bank city of Bethlehem by Muhammad Shehadi, a Fatah activist who ran as a Fatah candidate but lost in the 2006 Palestinian elections.The attack reportedly was carried out by an Arab who worked as a driver at the rabbinical seminary and lived in the Jerusalem village of Jable al-Mujabre.World Net Daily via Infidels are Cool
:: SHAHID Alaa Abu D'heim - Skolmassakern är ett ärofyllt dåd enligt PLO/Fatahs officiella nyhetsorgan Al Hayat Al Jadida (bild t.h. från tidningen). Shahid är högsta status för en martyr. PA och Mahmoud Abbas sänder signaler till sitt folk att terrordåd som detta har PLO:s fulla stöd. PMW REFLEKTION Skolmassakern (se bilder, video) stöds av Abbas. Hur kan Riksdag och regering med förtroendet i behåll mena att vi ska stödja Abbas? Varför ekonomiskt stöd till PLO som uppmuntrar terror? DN, Dagen - Jerusalem Martyr PLO fatah - Andra om: Jerusalem, Martyr, Shahid, PLO Fatah ::
Something that was not revealed until after Annapolis, and it should be noted that American tax dollars helped to fund these kind of monsters: Palestinian policemen confessed to killing Ido Zoldan, 29, a father of two from the settlement of Shavei Shomron, in a drive-by shooting last week, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed Sunday night.
Zoldan was killed the night before the
Israel's General Chief of Staff has made an unusual move by voicing opposition to the government's releasing any prisoners from Fatah, also because Gilad Shalit wouldn't be helped by it (via One Jerusalem): IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi expressed his opposition on Monday to the inclusion of 16 Fatah members from Gaza on Israel's list of prisoners who are slated for release as a
Condi Rice continues to show why she's not a credible politician, by conning people assembled at UJC in Nashville. And the biggest mistake she made in her speech is that: ...she misrepresented public opinion polls, asserting that "almost all" Israelis support unilateral withdrawals from Judea and Samaria, and handovers of territory to the Palestinian Authority, when in fact the opposite is the
And rocket attacks are also continuing:
Scores of Fatah policemen who used to serve in the Palestinian Authority security forces in the Gaza Strip have now joined the al-Qaida-affiliated group calling itself the Army of Islam, sources in the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry told The Jerusalem Post Thursday.
Meanwhile, Fatah's armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, claimed responsibility for
Your tax dollars at work again (Hat tip: IRIS Blog):
The American government is planning to transfer $410 million to the Palestinian Authority in an effort to strengthen it - the largest aid program ever given to the Palestinians by the U.S.And then, the money will be shared with Hamas, regardless of animosity between Fatah and Hamas. Perhaps those concerned should contact their Congressman about
This proves once again that anyone who thinks that Fatah is any better than Hamas is wrong:Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's plans to bolster Fatah may experience a grave setback in light of Hamas and Fatah's renewal of secret talks aimed at repairing relations. Olmert has been attempting to bolster Fatah's position and isolate Hamas, a militant group whose primary goal is to destroy Israel."The talks are being held at a low-level," a Fatah official told the Jerusalem Post. "It's premature to talk about a breakthrough, but at least we are talking again."Olmert said on Tuesday that he does not have information about the talks, according to sources in the prime minister's office. However during his meeting with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, Olmert said that the renewal of Fatah-Hamas talks could have harsh "diplomatic ramifications," underscoring his opposition to a united Palestinian government. Abbas vowed not to renew contact with the militant group.A Hamas-Fatah reuinification
Die israelische Regierung hat laut einem Zeitungsbericht eine Lieferung von 1000 Sturmgewehren aus Jordanien an die Palästinensische Autonomiebehörde von Präsident Mahmud Abbas gestattet. Bei der Lieferung, die Anfang Juli erfolgte, handelte es sich um die größte Waffenmenge für die palästinensischen Sicherheitskräfte, deren Lieferung ins Westjordanland Israel jemals erlaubt habe, heißt es in Tageszeitung „Haaretz“. Geliefert wurden Sturmgewehre des amerikanischen Typs M 16.Seit den Machtkämpfen zwischen der Hamas und der Fatah, hat sich die israelische Regierung vermehrt auf die Seite von Fatah-Präsidenten Mahmud Abbas gestellt. Israel versucht mit allen Mitteln zu verhindern, dass die Fatah-Milizen aus dem Westjordanland vertrieben werden könnten. Da Abbas als überaus gemässigt angesehen wird, ist die Position Israels verständlich. Wollen wir nur nicht hoffen, dass die gelieferten Waffen eines Tages gegen Israel eingesetzt werden könnten.
Der syrische Präsident Bashar Assad und sein iranischer Kollege Mahmud Ahmadinedschad haben auf einer gemeinsamen Pressekonferenz am Donnerstag in Damaskus die rivalisierenden Lager in den Palästinensergebieten zum Dialog aufgerufen. Ahmadinedschad besuchte Damaskus, um Assad persönlich zu dessen zweiten Präsidentenamtszeit zu gratulieren. "Alle Palästinenserbewegungen müssen an den Verhandlungstisch zurückkehren und einen Kompromiss schließen, um die Einigkeit der Palästinenser zu sichern", sagte der syrische Präsident. Beide Präsidenten sprachen sich für eine Heimkehr der palästinensischen Flüchtlinge und für die Gründung eines unabhängigen palästinensischen Staates mit Hauptstadt in Ost-Jerusalem aus."Zwei der grössten Terroristen sitzen zusammen und sprechen über Frieden und Einigkeit im zerstrittenen Palästinensischen Autonomiegebiet. Herr Assad vielleicht sollten Sie mal aufhören, Wahlen zu manipulieren. Wahrscheinlich hätte Sie Ihr Volk schon längst
Zur Unterstützung des palästinensischen Präsidenten Mahmud Abbas will US-Präsident George W. Bush sein Engagement im Nahen Osten bekräftigen. Bush wolle am Montag neue Pläne zur Unterstützung der gemäßigten Kräfte unter den Palästinensern bekannt geben, verlautete am Sonntagabend in Washington. Damit solle dem palästinensischen Volk verdeutlicht werden, dass es bei der Fatah von Abbas besser aufgehoben sei, erklärte der Nationale Sicherheitsberater Stephen Hadley. Die Palästinenser hätten «die Wahl zwischen der Gewalt und dem Chaos im Gazastreifen oder der Aussicht, unter Präsident Abbas und Ministerpräsident Salam Fajjad zu einem funktionsfähigen demokratischen palästinensischen Staat zu gelangen», sagte Hadley. Zum Umfang der künftigen Hilfe, insbesondere zu den finanziellen Details, äußerte sich der Sicherheitsberater nicht. In Regierungskreisen war jedoch von 86 Millionen Dollar (62,4 Millionen Euro) die Rede. Um diese Summe sei der Kongress bereits ersucht
Following the news that the Dubya administration wants to lift the embargo against Fatah, which it still views as legitimate in spite of everything, including Fatah's willingness to give funding to Hamas, some US lawmakers are uncomfortable with it, though this AP article predictably insists on all but whitewashing Fatah:WASHINGTON - President Bush's decision to resume U.S. aid to the Palestinian government has left some lawmakers uneasy, including at least one Republican who wants to pass a law that would reverse it."I have grave concerns that we would set aside our current preconditions for support in the wake of this emergency," said Rep. Mike Pence, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Middle East and South Asia subcommittee. "What we ought to be doing is reconsidering our policy."Last week, Hamas seized control of the tiny coastal territory of the Gaza Strip from Fatah security forces. The rout prompted President Mahmoud Abbas to evict Hamas from the Hamas-Fatah coali
At least for now, it seems Palestine has split into two separate sections following Hamas’s successful overthrow of Fatah in in Gaza. Instead of a coalition government, based around Hamas and Fatah sharing power, we now have two completely separate governments, with Mahmoud Abbas, Palestine’s President and Fatah leader, declaring a new secular emergency government in the West Bank.
The international community’s response to Fatah’s move has been overwhelmingly positive. President Bush has offered to replace any arms surrendered to Hamas, the US is planning to lift its embargo of Palestine, and most strikingly, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel has talked about resuming peace talks, giving Fatah the taxes Israel stopped paying to Palestine when Hamas was elected to power, and even paying some kind of reparations to Palestinian refugees, acknowledging for the first time the “suffering of the Palestinians that has taken place over many years as part of the
Hamas continued its campaign of destroying Fatah in Gaza and killings its leading officials. Hamas terrorists fired mortar shells and rockets at the three remaining Fatah compounds in Gaza City – those of the PA’s Preventive Security Service, Intelligence Service and the Presidential Guard, as well as Fatah chief and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s main compound. Hamas said it was in control of the Preventative Security compound and would be holding Friday's Islamic prayers in Abbas's former office. In Rafiah, Hamas blew up the Fatah headquarters and declared it had taken over the town. Fatah was beaten so badly that Egyptian reports said 40 PA officers broke through the Gaza-Egypt border fence and fled to Sinai for safety. The Hamas-affiliated Popular Resistance Committee announced Thursday that it had taken control of the border to prevent weapons smuggling (to Fatah) and mass emigration by local Gazans. More...Hamas to convert Palestinian Security HQ into mosq
:: SDEROT KAN BOMBAS på nytt när som helst, utan att den israeliska armén agerar. Det vittnar om att Hamas vunnit kraftmätningen just på den fronten. Hamas och de övriga palestinska terrorgrupperna har lyckats stoppa allt normalt liv i staden. Regeringen drar fortfarande fötterna efter sig, när det gäller att bygga skyddsrum etc. Bortförklaringarna är legio. Regeringens hållning är en skamfläck enligt Zeev Schiff, Haaretz. (sv.övers. Dick Haas)EN RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) avfyrades mot Hamasledaren och PA:s premiärminister Ismail Haniyeh på tisdagsmorgonen. Arutz7 (12/06/07) Palestinsk inbördesstrid tog 15 liv DN (070612)REFLEKTION Situationen i Gaza just nu beskrivs ingående under rubrikerna: Gaza: "Det här är politiskt självmord!" (2007-06-12), Fortsatta strider i Gazaremsan, Minst tio döda (2007-06-11), Tiotusentals palestinier flyr konflikten Hamas-Fatah (2007-06-11) av Dick Haas. Invånarna i Sderot lever i skräck och Tzeva Adom (a "C
Yes, it appears that Fatah was behind this terrorist assault:(IsraelNN.com) Terrorists attacked Israeli security forces near Jerusalem’s Armon HaNetziv neighborhood Saturday evening. Two security officers were injured and two terrorists killed.The shooting attack took place in the Sheikh Sa’id neighborhood, an area where construction continues on the Jerusalem section of the Partition Wall. One officer was wounded critically and a security guard moderately. They were evacuated to Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital.[...]Fatah’s Al-Aksa Brigades terror group took responsibility for the attack.Proof that they're just as evil as Hamas, no?
Gaza, April 16 (Xinhua) Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement Monday urged its members to kidnap Israelis to swap them for Palestinian prisoners.
“This is an open call for all our fighters to focus on kidnapping Israeli soldiers and civilians,” al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said in a statement to press.
The statement held the “Israeli enemy” responsible for the failure of the release the Palestinian prisoners.
Israel holds more than 10,000 Palestinians in jails and is expected to release some 1,300 of them as part of a prisoner exchange deal with captors of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit.
Meanwhile, Fatah has criticized Shalit’s captors, including a military offshoot of Hamas, for not including a senior Fatah official on a list of prisoners they wanted to be freed which they delivered recently to Israel.
Read it at LGF to get a full picture of what happened. The mainstream media leaves out a key fact that Charles Johnson points out: Fatah is not a “moderate” organization.
In my opinion, Little Green Footballs is the single most important weblog on the issue of terrorism and radical...
[ visit A Jewish Blog to continue reading ]
«Fatah ha perso lo scontro» con Hamas. Dopo gli accordi della Mecca fra i vincitori delle elezioni in Palestina e la vecchia formazione socialista, appare chiaro come «il vero vincitore» - come ricordato dalle colonne di Haaretz - del lungo braccio di ferro per chi governerà i palestinesi, sia Hamas. Una vittoria politica che rafforzerà le posizioni dei falchi che non vogliono assolutamente dare
Shame on France. France: We’ll back PA gov’t with Hamas
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy’s promise Saturday to work with a government including Hamas and Fatah was the bright spot in Abbas’s four-country swing through Europe this week. Other European leaders...
[ visit A Jewish Blog to continue reading ]
At least ten people in Gaza dead (and I think there was a local report that at least 3 more followed):
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Fatah fighters stormed a Hamas-affiliated university on Friday morning for the second time, setting buildings on fire and threatening to escalate an already raging battle between the two factions in the Gaza Strip.
A new round of heavy fighting throughout Gaza killed 10 people Friday - including a woman and three children - making a total of 17 since Thursday afternoon, as gunmen waged battles in the streets with mortar shells, rockets and heavy machine guns.
Thousands of Gazans huddled in their homes to escape the crossfire from the resurgent violence, which destroyed a brief truce between Fatah and Hamas. Health authorities said they were running out of blood to treat the wounded.
[...]
More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in internal violence since Hamas won parliamentary elections last year and formed a Cabinet. In the wake of the election, Abba
Well, it figures that the bloodshed, once started, would not cease so easily, and it didn't. The civil war between Hamas and Fatah continues:
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Gunmen armed with mortars and grenades fought in several areas of Gaza City on Saturday, killing two men on the third straight day of factional clashes linked to the power struggle over the Palestinian government.
The deaths brought to 20 the number of Palestinians killed since late Thursday, and at least 66 people were wounded, medical officials said. The rival Hamas and Fatah movements traded angry accusations, and each held several supporters of the other side hostage.
The violence froze talks about bringing Fatah into the Hamas-led government, negotiators said. Fatah's leader, moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said he would go ahead with his plan to call early elections if the coalition negotiations fail to produce results within two to three weeks.
The Gaza fighting, which started late Thursday, was
Youssef Ibrahim writes in the NY Sun that a civil war is likely to happen, Muslim vs. Muslim, and Fatah vs. Hamas:
This year has been momentous for the Middle East, but 2007 is going to be dramatic.
In the Gaza Strip and West Bank, a full-scale factional war will erupt among the Palestinian Arabs, with unpredictable consequences.
This time around, the "brotherhood" is over.
Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other assorted mafias will participate, while outside sponsors such as Iran, Syria, and Jordan will supply the bullets, rockets, money, and ill-will.That's one more reason why sanctions must be declared against them, and Fatah, just like Hamas, must be outlawed.
From the Counterterrorism Blog:In a credible communique posted this morning along with other mujahideen press releases, the Palestinian Fatah faction and its affiliate the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade have signed a joint statement with other Palestinian militants threatening to launch terrorist attacks on America in response to the mistaken killing of 20 Palestinians in Beit Hanoun earlier this week by the Israeli army. According to the statement, "America's support for the [Israeli] aggression prompted us to seriously consider it as a legitimate target for us... The American people are responsible for the consequences of their continued support for Israel." Referring to Americans as "Cowboys", the statement went on to denounce "powerful and merciless American strikes on Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan" and the "fraud" of the United Nations Security Council "which protects and safeguards the security of the Zionists at the expense of the blood of the Palestinians." Finally, the joint state
Source: Israel Nation NewsPublished:22:20 Feb 08Leaders of Hamas and Fatah, the two main PA factions, signed an agreement in Mecca on Thursday to enter into a unity government. Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas will remain Prime Minister, and an agreement was hammered out for the appointment of Finance, Interior, and Foreign Ministers.Additionally, Hamas agreed to respect, but not necessarily abide by, prior agreements between Israel and the PA or its prior incarnation, the PLO. This part of the agreement can have major implications for the way the international community responds to the unity coalition. Many countries, most notably Israel and the US, are unwilling to negotiate with Hamas as long as it does not recognize Israel, disavow terrorism, and abide by previous agreements with Israel. Nevertheless, the Saudi-brokered agreement is being touted as a major breakthrough.
:: GAZA CHURCH seized by the Palestinian Fatah group this weekend during one of the deadliest fighting in nearly two months. PA police broke into the Gaza Baptist Church when church leaders refused to hand over the building key on Feb. 2. The police took positions on the sixth floor using the church as a watch point. - Church pastor Hanna Massad described the crisis as “the worst situation we ever went through in Gaza.” >> more...Technorati Tags: Gaza Baptist Church Gaza Fatah Hamas - Andra bloggar om: Fatah, Hamas, Gaza
